Really the subtitle of this post should be “all the green tomatoes” because primarily, that’s what we’ve got going on in our garden right now.

Yep. And there’s more.

These ones look almost like pears or peppers.

This is just a tiny snapshot of the tomatoes we have going on right now. You can imagine the scope of the tomato issue when I show you that this is what the tomato beds look like right now.

Yeah… It’s kind of a jungle. We don’t win awards in this house for aesthetics, that’s for sure. But in just a few weeks we will likely be up to our eyeballs canning tomatoes and making salsa. I’m not complaining because they taste pretty great. The few that have ripened so far were made into the first batch of fresh tomato sauce (which we freeze) and it filled the house with the best smell – like the best of summer.

Beyond the tomatoes, the beans have been producing like mad. This was not even all of what I picked the other night. I had about another two bags of that size.

So the netting we have to keep the chickens out is still askew from me ripping it apart to get in there and pick. I was racing a thunderstorm that night so I was moving as fast as possible. Again, not winning any awards for aesthetics.

None of our cucumber plants made it, but we have had so many cucumbers from our CSA and my grandparents’ garden that I’m honestly kind of happy we don’t have any more.One really cool thing though, is this bed of sweet corn.

It’s so tall – and we’re seeing some silk. Here come the ears!

It will be pretty awesome to have a few ears of corn from our own backyard. Crazy to think just a couple months ago these were just seeds. The chard is also still doing well. Big huge leaves and vibrantly colored stalks.

Last but not least we have peppers. Lots of those coming, of different types. Hopefully right around the time for salsa.

Late August is the peak time for us for gardening and canning, so I’m trying to stay ahead of the game with what veggies we’re eating and preserving with a little white board on our fridge. How’s your garden doing?

Welcome to Next Gen House

I'm Joanna. I live with my husband Mark, our cats Vader and Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All (Stormy), and two chickens (both with Star Trek names) in Pittsburgh. Monday through Friday during business hours I'm a communications marketing specialist. The rest of the time I'm a reader, a huge Trekkie and lover of sci-fi, and a homesteader/wannabe farmer.